LNP’s “Safe Night Out” Implementation Panel scrapped by Labor, industry ignored and now chaos, confusion and crippling costs are the order of the day for operators and patrons

Labor must shelve ID scanners or kill more Queensland jobs

The Liberal National Party has called on the Palaszczuk Labor Government to shelve the introduction of ID scanners at entertainment venues state-wide until the hospitality sector is properly consulted and serious implementation issues are ironed out.

I have spoken to many pub and club owners who are struggling to deal with the exorbitant costs and consequences of having to install Labor’s ill-considered ID scanning system.

The Palaszczuk Government’s handling of liquor licensing has been an absolute stuff-up from start to finish.

Queensland hospitality workers are losing jobs, businesses are losing money and the State’s tourism reputation is being trashed because Labor just wouldn’t listen and didn’t care about the impacts of its rushed reforms.

They’ve broken election promises to Queenslanders on lock-out laws and now they’re breaking small businesses with their arrogant approach to ID scanners.

Annastacia Palaszczuk’s latest stuff-up is affecting every single bar, restaurant and club across the state.

Just a week since scanners were introduced and, in true Labor form, communication with industry has been non-existent, things have been done half-baked and now jobs are at risk.

The hospitality sector is one of the biggest employers of young Queenslanders – but jobs are set to go because of Labor’s crusade to destroy our vibrant nightlife precincts.

The right thing to do now would be for the Palaszczuk Government to pull up, admit their mistakes and start again – and this time listen to industry.

The full impact of Labor’s arrogant decision to scrap the LNP’s Safe Night Out Implementation Panel had now been exposed.

There are glaring inequities in the rules applied to different venues in the same precinct, technical issues with scanners that have led to mile-long queues outside pubs and clubs and some operators simply shutting down on weekdays because it costs too much to stay open.

So much for Queensland being open for business. What a bloody mess.

The LNP had a real plan for Safe Night Precincts, which included an implementation panel to ensure these issues didn’t arise, but in its infinite wisdom Labor scrapped that panel and now Queenslanders are paying the price.